I tried putting up a radiant barrier in my attic a couple years back, mostly because the summer heat here can get brutal. Honestly, I didn’t notice a huge difference on my electric bill, but I did see less heat radiating down from the attic hatch. The thing that surprised me was how much more important it was to have good ventilation up there—otherwise, yeah, you can get moisture issues. Has anyone had luck combining radiant barriers with those solar attic fans? Wondering if that’s overkill or actually helpful...
I’ve managed a few properties where we tried both radiant barriers and solar attic fans.
Honestly, pairing them made more of a difference than either one alone, especially in older homes with less insulation. The fans helped keep air moving, so we didn’t get that trapped heat or weird musty smell. That said, in one house the fan was undersized and didn’t move enough air, so it barely helped. If you go that route, sizing the fan right is key. Not overkill if your attic gets super hot, but I wouldn’t expect miracles on your power bill—just a more comfortable upstairs.“Has anyone had luck combining radiant barriers with those solar attic fans? Wondering if that’s overkill or actually helpful...”
I’m curious—did you notice any actual drop in your cooling bills after adding both, or was it more just comfort? I keep hearing mixed things about whether attic fans really make a dent in energy costs. My attic gets brutal in July...
- Honestly, I haven’t seen much of a drop in actual bills after adding attic fans—maybe a few bucks, nothing major.
- What did help was beefing up insulation. That made a bigger difference in both comfort and cost.
- Fans do make the attic less brutal, but if you’re looking for real savings, I’d focus on sealing and insulating first.
- In my experience, fans alone don’t move the needle much on energy costs.
I’ve always been a bit skeptical about attic fans too. I put one in a few years back, and honestly, the difference on my electric bill was barely noticeable. Insulation, though—that’s where I saw real change. My upstairs used to feel like an oven in July, but after adding more blown-in insulation, it’s way more comfortable and the AC doesn’t run as hard. Has anyone tried combining both—like, heavy insulation plus a fan? Wondering if that’s overkill or if it actually helps in super humid climates.
